Cigarette smoking guide
April 20th, 2014
Terminology What do the numbers mean? The numbers like “100’s” and “120’s” refer to the length of the tobacco rod in millimeters.
What is the difference between menthol and… whatever they call non menthol cigarettes? The other kind of cigarettes are called ‘non menthol’ or regular. The difference is menthol cigarettes have a major non tobacco additive that make them minty tasting. Very few people enjoy switching from one type to the other… but I do.
Menthol, and Regular… is there anything else? You bet there is! The next major ‘flavor’ is Clove. You know cloves… the spice they put on hams well, turns out they can be mixed with tobacco too! Some brands are extremely strong. Djarium Black is not something one should smoke while driving… or walking. Find a nice place to sit down first. Seriously, you’ll thank me.
Menthol, Regular, and Clove… I got it. Wait there are tons more! Most are self explanatory cherry, chocolate, orange mint, mango, et al. One good one worth explaining is Perique. The only brand I know that uses this is American Spirit. It has a quite different taste that I describe as “vaguely cucumber y… in a good way”.
Does filter/non filter make a difference? Oh MY Yes! Non filter cigarettes come in short stubby packs, and don’t have a filter end. You can light either end I choose the end that looks most cohesive to stick in my mouth. Non filter cigarettes are a completely different smoking experience. They are very easy to inhale from (no resistance from a filter). It is almost as easy as breathing through a straw. The amount of actual smoke you get is much higher (none is absorbed by the filter). If you are just starting DO NOT start on non filter cigarettes. Try one after you get a few packs down. Non filters have tar and nicotine levels 30 45% higher than their filter counterparts.
What about Lights, Mediums, Ultra Lights, and all that? I’m not sure exactly how lower tar and nicotine levels are produced, but I suspect it has to do with the filter. Lights typically have 50 70% the level of nicoine, Ultras have about 30%.
Why would I want Lights? Aren’t I just getting less smokey goodness? Some people find “full flavored” to be too harsh. Other people think they are doing something ‘good’ for themselves. Most of the time people will just smoke more Lights, or inhale deeper to get the nicotine levels they want. Buying lights is like getting a Big Mac with a Diet Coke. If you like the taste of Diet Coke Good for you! But the meal is still fattening.
Brand Reviews By Me Discontinued Camel Rare Menthol and regular versions are available. This is easily the best cigarette produced… if you can find it. Rare is to cigarettes what Stradivarius is to cellos. These make everything else look bad. If you can get a pack get a pack. They come in a metal tin, and are noticably more expensive than ‘common’ cigarettes.
FOUR STAR Camel Menthol A semi new cigarette with a nice punch. A bit harsher than Newport, but with a better smoke rush. You feel these. Parliament It has a recessed filter! Why? I don’t know… so your tongue never touches the cotton filter? So it just has less filter? Cheaper to produce? I just don’t know. These are quite good and I like the form factor of the recessed filter. THREE STAR American Spirit Regular and menthol, full flavor and light, this is a solid brand of smokes. Recommended for anyone.
Kamel Red/Kamel Red Light This is a good and readily available line. Nothing spectacular, but not bad in the least.
Djarium Black These are amazing. Why? Because they’re legal. If you’re not used to smoking I suggest you get a pack just to try them out. You may get dizzy, so look out. These are very tightly packed and can burn for 20 minutes. I’ve never seen anyone smoke one of these in under 15 minutes and not get ill.
Best electronic cigarette reviews
How you read marlboro cigarettes expiration date
Best Of E Cig Aspects
Those are our top picks overall, and here are the best of the different aspects of the electronic cigarettes listed, to help you fine tune
- Best Price for Cartridge Refills V2 Cigs ($9.95 for 5 cartridges)
- Cheapest Starter Kit Bull Smoke hands down with $29.95 for a starter kit with 2 batteries and 10 cartridges. (Comparatively, as pricing is a top priority for many, V2 and South Beach kits both cost $59.95 for the same components, the Green Smoke kit is $59.97 with 5 cartridges, 1 battery and one cig that plugs into a USB, and the Halo G6 is $44.99 with 2 batteries and 5 cartridges).
- Best Flavor V2 Cigs Red
- Best Battery Mini manual Halo Battery (charges in like an hour, and lasts much longer than other proportionately sized batteries).
- Longest Lasting Battery For standard sized e cigs this is close, the long batteries from South Beach, Bull Smoke and V2, and the standard Green Smoke are all good for a number of hours. The longest lasting most powerful short battery is the manual 65mm Halo. If you want an upgraded battery that lasts for hours and aren’t concerned with the size, check out the Halo Triton.
- Coolest Accessory South Beach Smoke Portable Charging Case with LED lights
- Sexiest Aesthetics Halo
- Coolest Color Ever If aesthetics will clinch the deal for you, check out the Halo Iridescence Triton Battery pictured to the right >
- Best Disposable V2
- Thickest Vapor Green Smoke
- Most Vapor Volume Standard V2 cartridges
- Longest Lasting Cartridges Green Smoke
- Cheapest To Maintain V2 and Halo (since they stock refill liquid which is a nice savings).
- Most Accessories and Options V2 check out their super sexy carrying cases, charging cases, battery color options, and the Ultimate Kit has all the bells and whistles.
- Biggest Throat Hit Go for high nicotine 1.8% or 2.4% (18mg and 24mg respectively), all 5 listed above have nice throat hits, V2′ s 18mg flavors seem to smack the back of your throat just a bit more than the others at 18mg, and even some other higher strength ones.
Best E Cigarette Mods & Tanks
If you’re looking for upgraded electronic batteries, tanks etc, check out VaporZone. They have a real nice line of tank systems and upgraded batteries etc.
They also have a HUGE selection of e liquid flavors, and you can customize your flavor by mixing flavors etc.
Pictured here are 4 of their products, from the left is the Rebel (for taking things to a serious next level), the Pro, Pulse and Jet. They also have standard e cigs with cartridges, so they cover everything.
Their website is
Everything about them feels high quality, between the look and feel of the product line, and their flavors are real good!
Anyways, we’re pretty excited about what else is to come, as there were a number of headlines about the electronic cigarette industry, ju
st this past week early June 2013.
One is that NJoy is creating an e cig that they claim is just like a real cigarette.
Also, they announced, just today (June 7, 2013), that Reynolds (who’s the #2 largest cigarette manufacturer) is launching their own electronic cigarette.
Here’s the article in The New York Post. It seems like a great time to be getting into smokeless cigarettes for tons of reasons.
For more news, check out our page for e cigs in the news
Electronic Cigarette Brands and Reviews Here at
This isn’t too complicated.. There are quite a few good e cigarettes out there, and with a couple of the top ones, you can’t really go wrong.
That being said, as you can see above, we do have our favorites, and explain why in our review pages (see below). There are a number of brands that create an excellent product line, with the super competitive market that electronic cigarettes have become.
Each brand does have a distinct flavor, and so it may be very worth your time to try more than one, as you may try one that is good enough, and another may seal the deal, and just hit that spot.
When you factor in the cost savings, it’s pretty much a no brainer, nevermind some of the nice aspects of vaping cigarettes as opposed to tobacco burning cigarettes, with ash and the smell of cigarettes being two big factors.
For our reviews below, we looked for the top rated brands by consumers, and to see how they are against each other and created our favorites on this page.
Reviews Of Our Top Picks
- V2 Cigs
- Vapor Zone
- South Beach Smoke
- Green Smoke
- Bull Smoke
- Halo
When starting out, you may want to consider a starter kit. Check out our page comparing some of the best basic starter kits here.
Where To Buy Our Top Picks
Visit any of these sites from our top 5 list to get started and buy your own electronic cigarette and start saving some serious cash
Go here for our reviews of other electronic cigarettes.
Save Cash On Select Brands
Check out our coupon codes & discounts here for savings on V2, South Beach Smoke and Green Smoke. Thanks for visiting, and please comment with any useful feedback or questions you have.
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We are talking to some companies about running some promotions, giveaways, and some other stuff you will like, so keep your eye out.
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